Sunday, October 20, 2013

Emily found herself in a most difficult spot.One she knew she couldn’t get out of.She had tried her best to repay her debts and
to make amends, but everything had gone wrong.She took small gasps of air, trying to conserve the little she had left.

She was in way over head.Literally.

***

She sat at a dingy corner bar, one she had never noticed
before. She ordered a drink with the last of the money she had on her, along
with the last of her dignity.She had
lost everything at the casino, and owed everyone she knew money.She had been down this road before, but never
this far down.She supposed she could just take off and
leave all of her debts unpaid. Her family and friends really should have known
better than to lend her anything anyway.She knew she couldn’t do that.She might be a degenerate gambler, but she still had some semblance of
humanity to her.She was just about to
leave, when the first of them walked over.

“Looks like you’ve had a rough night, missy,” the stranger
said.“Would you mind if I bought you
another of whatever you’re having there?”

“Thanks, but no.I
was just on my way out,” Emily said.

“Nonsense.Lemme buy
you a drink. I promise, I don’t bite,” he said with a smile and a wink.

Emily smiled.He
looked like a nice enough man, and old enough to be her father.He was just trying to cheer her up, and she
could use some cheering up.

“Ok, thanks a lot.It’s
been a hell of a night and I could use another.It’s a vodka tonic with lime.Or
something that looks vaguely similar to a lime.”

“Terry, get – err, what’s you name anyway, Miss?”

“Emily.My name is
Emily”

“Terry, get Emily a vodka tonic and try to find a lime that
isn’t moving this time,” the stranger said.

After the drink arrived, she sat and talked to James.He told her that his family owned the
bar.“Murphy’s” it was called,
apparently.She hadn’t noticed the sign when
she came in.He explained that Terry was
the usual bartender, but he filled in on occasion.He introduced her to almost everyone else in
the bar, all of whom were Murphy’s.Her mind
reeled as she tried to match each face with each name:Patrick, Dennis, Kevin, John, Mark,
Michael.There were Juniors and Seniors
in there as well.She could keep only three
straight in her mind:James, who had
approached her, Terry the bartender, and Kelly, the only other girl in the
establishment.

“Is there some sort of a rule that you have to be a Murphy
to come in here,” Emily joked, downing her 3rd vodka.

“No, no,” one of them laughed.“But we don’t let just anyone in.You have to earn
your way in.You have to be worthy.”

As the night went on, Emily felt herself beginning to loosen
up and share her troubles with the clan.They seemed understanding, and best of all, willing to help.She felt like she had known them all of her
life.

“It must be nice to have a family that’s so close,” she said
to the group.“You all seem to really
have each other’s backs. “

Emily swore she caught sideways glances between each of the
family members, but she knew she couldn’t trust her senses.She was how many vodka tonics deep and couldn’t
be certain of what she saw.She shrugged
it off to paranoia and spending too much time with the underbelly of humanity,
rather than with decent people.Like the
Murphy’s.

***

She woke up the next morning in her apartment, unsure of how
she had even gotten home.She stumbled
out to the kitchen to get some water, and saw the cash stuffed envelope on her
countertop.

“What the hell,” she muttered out loud.

She picked it up and counted the contents.$10,000, all in hundred dollar bills.She looked around her to see if this was some
sort of a joke. She looked out the window,
and all she saw was her beat up Toyota sitting in its parking spot.There was a note on the counter that read:

“Lovely to meet you last night, Emily.So glad we can help you out of your jam.Here’s the cash to pay your family and friends back.

We’ll be in touch. “

-The Murphy’s

She replayed the events of last night in her mind, but could
only get sketchy fragments:Drinks, laughing,
crying, hugs, drinks.She couldn’t
remember asking for money.But she didn’t
remember getting home, so she could hardly trust her senses.

She took a quick shower and divided the money into separate envelopes,
one for each person she owed.

She was paid off in full.She had never felt so free.

She drove to the corner where she was certain the bar was,
but there was nothing there except a vacant lot with twisted fencing keeping
people out.Signs reading:“No
Trespassing” and “Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law”.

Emily stared at the concrete slab and fenced in lot; long
enough for an elderly gentleman to ask if she needed directions.The passerby looked very familiar, but Emily
could not place him.

“I must be on the wrong block,” Emily said nervously.“I’m looking for ‘Murphy’s’, it’s a bar I
went to last night.I thought it was on
this corner, but I must be mistaken.”

“Murphy’s,” the stranger said.“You’re a day late and a dollar short, my
dear.Murphy’s was here.And Murphy’s burned down 20 years ago.”

The passerby’s eyes twinkled and he smiled.“Oh, it’s possible, missy.My mind isn’t what it used to be.”Emily felt uneasy, but couldn’t place her
finger on it.

“Sorry, but can I ask you one more question,” Emily
inquired.“D-do you know how it burned
down?Were people injured?”

“They never could say.The whole family went up in smoke with it, or so the myth goes – they never
found any bodies, though.If you ask me
though, it’s better off.They were a
nasty lot.”

The man walked away and left Emily standing in front of a
vacant lot that had just given her $10,000.

***

Weeks passed.Months
passed.Emily hadn’t gone back to the
casino’s and was trying to put the “Murphy’s” situation out of her mind.She got through each day by telling herself
that it wasn’t “Murphy’s Bar” she had bellied up to.It must have been some other hole in the wall
dive bar.As for the money, she couldn’t
explain that one away.She did pay
everyone back, though, and even had a little left over for herself.

After the 3rd month, Emily received a knock on
her door.

It was late and she looked through her peephole to see who
was calling on her.No one was
there.She walked away and the knock
came again, louder this time.She opened
the door, annoyed at neighborhood kids playing a prank.

Standing before her was the entire Murphy clan.

“How?Wha-,” she
stammered, as they entered her apartment.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about us, Emily,” one of them said
with a smile.“We had a deal. Remember?”

“You should sit down, honey,” another said.“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

Emily stepped backwards into her chair and sat down with a
thump.Her eyes, darting from one face
to another.

“How have you been, Emily?Things going well?I hope you’re
staying away from those casino’s.” The voice was familiar.She remembered James.He was the older gentleman who had a wink in
his smile, the one who was old enough to be her father. He had aged
considerably from what she could remember.

“I’m..I’m doing well, thank you,” Emily said, with a forced
smile.

“Good.Good.We’re glad to see that we could help. Unfortunately,
we have come here to discuss the arrangement that was made 3 months ago
today.Such unpleasantness, I know.But business is business.”

“Arrangement, what arrangement?I tried to find your bar…it’s nothing but a
vacant lot.”She squirmed in her
seat.“I asked around and they said the
bar had burned down 20 years ago.”She
then remembered the old man she met on the street that day, the one who looked so
familiar.It was James.

“Tsk, tsk,” one of them answered.“The first rule of ‘Murphy’s Bar’ is that you
don’t talk about ‘Murphy’s Bar – did
I get that right?”

“No.You’re quoting ‘Fight
Club’, I heard one of the kids talk about it as they passed over us.The point is the same though.”That was Terry, she remembered him as the bartender.

“Regardless. A deal is a deal.It’s time to pay up.”

A piece of paper was handed to her, the bottom of which
contained her signature – sloppy and slanted – but her signature nonetheless.

“I don’t understand,” said Emily.“What deal?”

“Read the contract, you stupid girl.”

Emily looked back down at the paper, trying to read the tiny
writing.She could only make out one
paragraph in full.But that was enough:

“…herein states that the below
signee has agreed to accept the sum of ten thousand US Dollars.In exchange for this sum, the below signee
agrees to the terms of the contract herein, which designates that the signee
must forfeit their human body to Murphy, Inc., 90 days from the date on this
contract…”

Emily shook her head and looked
up at the congregation in front of her.“What
does this mean?” she asked?

“Well, my pet, it means – in a
nutshell – we own your ass.”

“Here’s the Cliffs Notes version.
You came in to ‘Murphy’s’, talked to all of us fine folk and, after some negotiation,
agreed to the contract.You see, we can’t
be free until we find someone to take our spot.You agreed to our most generous offer.Pretty simple, really.”

“But, but, but I wasn’t in my
right mind. I was drunk and I was depressed.Surely this couldn’t stand up in any court…,” Emily broke off, realizing
just how stupid she sounded trying to reason legalities with immoral ghosts.

***

She found herself in over her head, literally.Buried in a box under the vacant lot of ‘Murphy’s
Bar’.She wasn’t sure who was going to take her
body over, but she knew her air was quickly running out.Screams would mean nothing, and she had
played her last hand.

Monday, October 14, 2013

As her haze began to lift, her senses slowly came back to
her.She hadn’t lost her sight, as she
originally thought – she was blindfolded.She slowly undid the sash that was tied around her head and blinked in
the dusty grey Autumn light.

She was on some sort of hiking trail.A pathway that had been formed overtime, by
the footsteps of people more “outdoorsy” than she.This wasn’t one of those trails that you see
in Central Park.There were no benches
or picnic tables.No vendors selling
lemonade and hot pretzels.This was the woods.And she had no idea how she came to be here; blindfolded and lying on
the ground with twigs and bronze colored leaves stuck in her golden hair.

She got herself to her knees and felt her head begin to
swoon.“Whoopsie Daisy”, she thought to
herself, as she fell backwards on to her bum.

“Who the hell says ‘Whoopsie Daisy’ anymore,” she said out
loud to no one.

She sat there for a moment longer, gathering her energy, and
attempted to stand once more.On her
feet - although not solidly - she turned and looked at her surroundings.“Did someone drop me off in Vermont?” she
thought?“I’ve never seen so many trees
in one place.”

She tried to paste together the events of the last 24 hours,
but couldn’t remember much.She
remembered she was supposed to go out with her best friend, Jenna, for a girl’s
night out.She had already gotten ready,
and was almost out the door in her stilettos, when the call came in to
cancel.That was around 9:30pm.
Everything after that isn’t even a blur.It just isn’t there.She has no
idea what happened between hanging up that phone and waking up blindfolded in
this…forest.

She searched the ground and found her purse.She breathed a small sigh of relief when she
saw that it was her small black clutch.She only used the clutch when she was going out on the town.She must have gone out with Jenna after all.But where was she?! She reached inside the
small bag and took out her cell phone.Of
course, no reception. The date showed Sunday, October 13th.OK – that helped.The time was 9:30am.She was now down to only 12 missing hours of
her life.Somehow, that didn’t seem to
perk her up.

Her shoes were placed right next to her purse.Her car keys were in her shoes.Everything was lined up.Not by accident, obviously.Hmm.Things were certainly getting weirder and weirder.

“Thanks for that observation, Caption Obvious,” she said out
loud.

“People are going to think you’ve lost it if you keep
talking to yourself,” she argued back.

“Right, those blue jays and weeping willows are going to
spread the word that Miss Fancy Pants is a loon.Get it?Get it? LOON? It’s a BIRD, you nitwit.”

“Weeping what? She asked.

Clarissa’s mind was
reeling from arguing with herself, she had obviously been away from
civilization too long and was going a bit loopy.She needed to focus on finding her way out of
this place and back to her car.

To the right was an uphill slope, and to the left was a winding
path that went gently downhill.Looking
at the shoes she had with her, she opted to go to left.

She leaned against a tree and went to slip on her
heels.She let out an “EEK” when she saw
that the bottoms of her feet were covered in mud, leaves and filth.There were some small pebbles still stuck
between her toes and her once perfectly French manicured toenails were now
outlined with a rim of grime and guck.

“Blech!” she said loudly.“My feet are shot, I’m not ruining my shoes too!”

Clarissa proceeded to limp along the uneven trail, her feet
picking up more dirt, her shoes hanging from her fingertips.Her skirt smeared with grass juice and
whatever other dirty things she had managed to pick up during her stay in the
“Forest of Filth”.

She knew her face must look a wreck, but she didn’t have the
heart to take out her compact and actually look upon herself.

“I wouldn’t have the strength to look the world in the eye
if I saw what I must look like,” she muttered.

“God, you’re so vain!” she answered back.“You probably think every song is about
YOU.”

Clarissa pouted and hobbled further down the trail, hoping
she picked the right direction.

“There’s no need to get personal about it,” she mumbled.

Down the trail she went, trying to avoid the large tree
roots that crossed her path and keeping a vigilant eye out for anything that
crawled.Or slithered.Nothing she saw brought back any sort of
memory whatsoever.There was no sign of
anything or anyone.

The path eventually opened up so there was a field on one
side.

“A field is a good sign, right?” Clarissa said to
herself.“A field must mean that
someone, like, plows it or something.”

“You’ve got to be the biggest moron around, Clarissa.Just because there’s a FIELD doesn’t mean
that someone, LIKE, plows it.You
jackass.”

She put her head down and started on. Clarissa sneered as
her foot landed on a broken twig.“Dang
it!”

Keeping her head down, Clarissa caught sight of a shiny
object at edge of the path nearest the field.

“You can always pick out the shiny things, can’t you?” she
said to herself.Clarissa smiled, it was
true, she was all about the glitz and glamour, the shine and shimmer of
life.

“It’s not a compliment, you turd.You’re just like a crow, and twice as
worthless.”

Nearing the object, Clarissa saw it was a newer style camera.Nothing hugely high-tech, but a digital
camera, that was in good condition.It
looked like it had recently been left, since it wasn’t dirty or damp in
anyway.

“I wonder if there’s a Ranger station anywhere around
here.I can leave it with the nice bear
who always wants to stop forest fires.” She turned the camera around and didn’t
see any identifying marks, except for the initials ‘E.C.S’.“That’s
funny,” thought Clarissa.“Those
initials…”

“Why don’t you turn it on and see if there’s any pictures,
Miss Hot Pants”, she said to herself.

“I really shouldn’t, it’s not my property and it’s not right….”

“Oh, stop being a ninny and turn the damn thing on!” she
screamed.

“Ok. Ok. God!”

Clarissa turned the camera on and saw the last picture
taken.She dropped her shoes that were
still hanging from her fingers when she saw the image.It was HER.On this very trail.In this very
outfit.The only difference was that
her clothes weren’t dirty and she had a wicked smile on her face, the blindfold
tied like a scarf around her neck.

Clarissa turned around in circles calling out for help and
asking if anyone was there.She had no
idea what was going on and was seriously creeped out now.

***

“Stop your whining, you silly
little cow!”Edith said.

Clarissa couldn’t help crying,
but she did listen to Edith, who liked to take charge in these situations.

“I’m so sick of you in your
little outfits and your dainty little
handbags.Why don’t you grow a pair
already?!”Edith screamed.“What are you doing with your life?What is the purpose of you even being on Earth?All you do is shop and get your nails done.While I get to sit back and keep silent?I don’t think so, not anymore, Missy.”

“The tide is high, and YOU are
moving on Miss C.” Edith dictated.“I’m
not taking a back seat to you anymore.Do you want to know what happened?I’ll tell you what happened. ..

“I broke your plans with your
idiot friend.I couldn’t take another
night of talking about Jake Gyllen…whatever the hell his name is.I couldn’t take another night of eating sushi
and complaining about your thighs.I
couldn’t stand one more minute of sipping wine and watching you play hard to
get with the Ad Exec.

“So, I decided to take you out on
the town, Edith style.Take a look in
your precious little bag, my dear.You’ll
find a receipt for a Motel, not a Hotel, for 2 hours.A receipt for Pigs n’ Things Bar-B-Que. And a
phone number…. for one Mr. Bubby T. Riley.The picture is courtesy of him.So
is the blindfold.I told him I liked it.
He dropped “you” off about an hour ago.Edith Clarissa Simmons is here to stay.”

Before Clarissa was pushed out of
the way, she managed to get one sentence out:“I ate at a Bar-B-Que?!”

This piece was written for a Google + Twelve Hour Challenge. The Rules: You are walking on a hiking trail and notice a camera laying in the leaves off the path. When you pick it up, you see it is a digital camera and the last picture taken is of you, walking along the trail. There is no one in sight. What happens next?

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Samantha was barely speaking to Matthew when they crossed the border in to Labinnac County, a tiny speck on the map in the western most corner of Pennsylvania.At this point, even his breathing was making her squirm with rage.He had told her they were going somewhere as a “surprise”. A trip he said, “she’d never forget.”He smiled his smile and she bounced with glee.

Hours later, she realized that the “surprise” was a road trip to visit Matthew’s shirttail relatives, and not – as she had assumed – the trip to the Bahamas, as he had been promising.She should have known better then to think Matthew had it in him to come up with something that grandiose.Plus, he told her not to bother packing anything – everything they would need was right there.She had still slipped a bikini in to her purse, the thought which now infuriated her more.

Matthew cleared his throat and she gave him a sideways glare that could cut a diamond. He glanced over at her and tried to restart their conversation from where it had left off.

“Honey, I’m sorry you’re disappointed.I don’t know what gave you the idea that we were going to the Bahamas.That type of trip takes a lot more planning, and I really thought you’d appreciate meeting my relatives.”If he had left it there, Samantha might have tried to thaw the iciness that was hanging in the air.Oh no.He just had to go on.“Besides, babe, you can’t honestly be angry with me for something that you made up in your own mind, can you?”That was it.That was the final blow.

“You’re right, honey,” she started, “I shouldn’t have assumed you would do anything that you said you were going to do.I should know better than to -what was it you said - ‘make things up in my own mind’?Yes, that’s what you said.I should have known better than to think you might actually try to surprise me with something we’ve been talking about for months.Yes, snookums.Visiting your backwoods relatives is a fine, FINE alternative to lying on the beach and sipping a Pina Colada.Whatever was I thinking?”Her sarcasm was cutting, but Matthew couldn’t help but smile.

“Like I told you, Sammy, this is going to be a trip you’ll never forget.You’ll love my relatives.They’re quirky and unique.I guarantee you that you won’t have a thought of the Bahamas once this trip is over.Come on, babe.Let’s make this trip special.”

Samantha stared at him.There’s no use in making a complete jackass out of myself in front of his family, she thought.She better put her disappointment away with her bikini, because she knew they couldn’t be far now.She tried to soften her voice when she next spoke.

“Matt, I’m letting it go.For now.There’s no sense in us driving out all this way just to argue.I’m just not sure why you picked now to visit relatives that you’ve never even spoken about.It just seems odd.You can’t blame me for being disappointed – especially since we’ve been talking about going to the islands for ages.Let’s just put it behind us and deal with it on our way back to civilization.”

“That’s my girl.” Matthew said, giving her a wink and a smile.“I know you’ll have the time of your life once you meet everyone.”

“Alright, so tell me something about these relatives I’ve never heard a peep about,” Samantha said.“I’ve never even heard of ‘Labinnac County’ before.”

“Ahhh. That’s because only a special few even know it exists,” laughed Matthew.“Labinnac County is the best kept secret this side of the Pacific.My family owns a lot of the business in town – the Bed and Breakfast, the Café.If they don’t own them, then another distant relative does.Everything in LabinnacCounty has been built by my family.It’s in our blood.”

“Well, if it’s so important to you, then why haven’t I heard anything about it before,” she questioned.“We’ve been together for years and I never knew you even had family way out here, much less owned a town.”

Matthew answered with a smile and a pat on her hand.“I had to make sure you were the perfect person to meet my family, Sam.And you are.”

Samantha smiled and her feelings of anger quickly drifted away.Matthew might not be the most romantic guy in the world, but he sure did know how to say the right thing sometimes.Besides, it looked like they’d be spending the rest of their lives together, so she should learn to put away her pigtails and accept what she had.A good, solid man who was dependable.Romance was over-rated anyway.

***

They crossed over a covered bridge into the center of
Labinnac County.She had to admit, it
was beautiful and serene.The town
looked like it was a direct copy out of a Norman Rockwell painting, and the few
people she saw, tipped their hats to her as they drove by.“What the hell”, she thought to herself.“Did I just step into Mayberry?”

“Here we are,” Matthew said, with joy in his voice.“We’ll be staying here tonight. This is the
place I was telling you about.My Aunt and Uncle – well that’s what I call
them anyway – should be inside waiting for us.”Samantha smiled, and glanced at the sign:

Niks Nook – Bed and
Breakfast

The Dining’s on Us

That’s a cute slogan for a B&B, Samantha thought.Maybe these people aren’t hillbillies after
all.Matthew held the door for her, and
they both walked inside, hand in hand.

“Matty!!” an eldery woman called out from behind the
desk.Samantha’s eyes were still
adjusting from the bright daylight, and couldn’t quite make out the figure
speaking yet.She could tell the woman
was old, but her eyes were playing tricks on her.For a brief instant, she could have sworn she
saw yellow eyes and pointed teeth.Quickly her eyesight came back in to focus, and standing before her was
a grandmotherly lady, probably in her late 70’s.

Aunt Livee placed her hands on Samantha’s shoulders and gave
her a firm squeeze.“This must be your
Samantha, the one we’ve heard so much about.”Aunt Livee never took her eyes off of her and Samantha was getting a
nauseated feeling in the pit of her stomach.Why did Aunt Livee know so much about her, but she had never heard
anything about Aunt Livee?She put it
off to having not eaten all day and the long car ride.

“Yes, Auntie.This is
my Sammy.I’m so glad you two can
finally meet!I know you two will get
along splendidly.Where’s Uncle Stan?”
Matthew inquired.

“Oh, sweetie.Your
Uncle is still feeling a bit under the weather.I’m hoping he’ll be up and about by tomorrow morning,” Aunt Livee
replied.Samantha couldn’t help but feel
like she was being watched and judged, but she knew it was only her
imagination.She always got a little
uneasy around strangers.

***

Since they brought no luggage, Matthew decided to show
Samantha around town, promising Aunt Livee that they’d be back before dark.

Starving, they headed to the nearest –and only- café in
town:The Yendik and Revil Café.Before Samantha could ask, Matthew said, “It’s
an old family name.Aunt Livee was
originally a Yendik and Uncle Stan is a Revil”.She nodded and smiled, pleased and a little confused, to find out so
much new information about Matthew.

They stepped inside and Matt was once again greeted with
warm hugs and pats on the back.“He wasn’t
kidding when he said the family owned the town”, she thought.Matt introduced her proudly and food was
ordered for them by some relative or another.

She wasn’t sure what she was eating, but it was
delicious.As soon as she finished her
plate, seconds were provided from out of nowhere.She had never had such a voracious appetite
in all of her life.By the time the meal
was over she felt like a bloated tick.

They walked back to the B&B and Samantha started to feel
increasingly ill. Her sides were cramping up and the pain in her abdomen was
almost unbearable.“ I’m really not
feeling so well.I think I might need to
go to the hospital,” she panted to Matthew.“Nonsense”, he smiled “you just overdid it at the restaurant.We’ll go back to Aunt Livee’s and you can
take a nice long bath.You know you always
feel ill when meeting new people and, honestly…I’ve never seen a person eat so
much in all of their life.” He took her hand and looked in to her eyes. “You
know, Samantha.Right here, right
now.I know you are the perfect person
for me.I’m so glad you’ve gotten to
meet my family.”She smiled through her
pain and hobbled inside to the Inn.

***

She soaked in to the tub for what seemed hours and didn’t
feel any better.In fact, she felt
worse.She crawled in to bed and Aunt
Livee gave her a sleeping pill, “to ease your tired mind, my dear.”

The last thing she saw before drifting off was a bubbling
pot of water.She was dreaming she was
still taking her bath, her mind told her, and she passed out.

***

The next morning Matthew came downstairs with a spring in
his step.He greeted Uncle Stan with a
warm hug and a satisfied smile.

“Feeling better, Uncle?”Matthew asked.

“Much better, thank you my boy.” Uncle Stan replied. “That Samantha
sure was a good sport.And you, my boy
have this down pat.Bring the young
things in, fatten ‘em up and have him soak.Don’t much get the point of bringing a bikini, though” Uncle Stan chuckled.He reached for his toothpick and picked out a
piece of bone.

“It’s a shame, you know.She seemed a good lot.But she
had a bitterness to her.Some sort of
acidity to the last bite.Probably the
sleeping pill.” Uncle Stan
chuckled.“I’ll tell you, though.She definitely put up a fight!Your Aunt just ‘bout had to sit on top of her
to get her to stop squirming.All she
kept doing was screaming:I get it
now!Labinnac is Cannibal! Yendik and Revil is Kidney and Liver! Niks is
Skin!”Uncle Stan kept laughing.“That’s about one of the smartest broads you
brought here yet.Lot of good it did
her. ”

Sara had never smiled as much as she did the night of their
first date.It had been 4 years ago this
coming December.She knew immediately
that Robert was “the one”.She loved his
nervousness, she loved his self-deprecating humor.She loved him almost immediately.

They took things slowly and after the 3rd year,
Robert proposed.He was so nervous that
his teeth were chattering and his hands were shaking.Sara loved him even more for that.Of course her answer was “Yes”.She would have said yes that first night.

They were now planning a December wedding to commemorate
their first date and the date of the proposal.Everything good and true in their lives together seemed to happen in
December, and it seemed perfect to plan the wedding at that time.They decided to have the wedding and reception
at one of the smaller ballrooms of the Ski Resort an hour north of them,
thinking how beautiful it would be with the fireplaces warming their friends
and family, and the flames reflecting off the snow.The flames dancing in rhythm to the
celebration going on all around.It was
going to be magical.She just knew it.

Flowers, music, food and entertainment were arranged.Sara and Robert got a kick out of the menu
tasting and everything that was offered as an “extra”.They were laughing so hard at one point that a
noodle actually came out of Robert’s nose -which only made them laugh even
harder.The wedding coordinator
eyeballed them suspiciously, thinking them too low-brow to have a wedding at
his establishment, and too silly to even get married.His disapproving looks were not lost on
Robert, who decided to needle the coordinator with inane questions.“So, Goodman,” said Robert, “can you ensure
that a bottle of ketchup is on each table?Our family just loves smothering their filet mignon with a bottle of
Heinz 57, makes for good eats. Plus the bottle can serve as a centerpiece.”Robert continued, “I see that there’s no
trash cans throughout the dining area, where are the guest to dump their paper
plates and plastic utensils?”Ending
with, “If we bring out own salt and pepper shakers from home, can we get a
discount?”Getting the hint, the
coordinator took his leave and left them giggling to each other.

Sara found her dress in a little store off the beaten path.A beautiful off-white floor length gown, with
delicate bead-work at the bodice, and scalloped edges at the hemline.Simple yet elegant.Robert chose a traditional tuxedo, with a red
cummerbund.Their wedding party was
small, with a maid of honor and a bridesmaid, a best man and a groomsman.

The BIG DAY was 24 hours away, and Sara kissed Robert on the
nose.“The next time you see me Mister,
I shall be standing at the altar, all in white.A glowing vision. Follow the light, my love.”She kissed him again and set out with her
bridal party to the Ski Resort.Robert
watched her go and knew he was the luckiest man on Earth.

The morning of the wedding, the snow started to fall. It was
perfect, just as she had wished.The
roads weren’t bad, and she could see people starting to arrive to check in to
their rooms.Her hair was set in
curlers, and her makeup was being applied.She had no nervousness, no butterflies.Just pure excitement for what she knew the future would hold.A house, kids, a dog – the whole white picket
fence ideal was their dream.And it
started with today. In 3 hours.

****

There was a soft knock at her door, as she was putting her
veil on.She knew it was time to head
downstairs, so she answered with “Be down in one minute.”I’m the bride, she thought to herself, what
are they going to do?Start without
me?She smiled to herself at her the
thought.“I’m the bride.”She giggled and took one last glance in the
mirror.The knock returned.

She opened the door to find Robert’s brother and best man
standing before her.“What are you doing
here, Steven?I don’t know, but it feels
like bad luck for the best man to see the bride before the wedding, too,” she
said with a smile.

“Sara, I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Steven started.He sat down and put his head in his hands and
started to sob.“What is it Steven?You’re scaring me.”Sara had never seen him like this before, and
for the first time in years, felt a shiver race up and down her spine.

“Sara, I’m so sorry.”Steven kept repeating those words over and over again, in between his
tears.“Sorry for what, Steven?What’s going on?”Sara was shaking at this point and thousands
of thoughts leapt through her mind at once.

“Robert is…gone, Sara.He was struck by a car and killed just over an hour ago.Sara, I’m so sorry.I’m so sorry.He loved you so much.”

She stood there, in her simple yet elegant dress and stared
at him.Disbelieving.“What do you mean he’s died?What does that mean, Steven?!”

“Robert wanted to surprise you.He knew how you loved red roses, so he made
the plan to line your pathway to the ceremony with long stemmed roses.He knew the roses in the snow would make you
so happy.He wanted you to be
surprised.He just loved you so
much.”He went on, “He forgot to bring
the roses this morning, so he called the wedding planner and he gave the name
of the local florist who could help him out.”Steven caught his breath.“As he
was coming back up the mountain, a truck coming down lost control.The truck hit the driver side door.They said he died instantly.I’m so sorry, Sara.”

Sunday, October 6, 2013

The rain battered against the windows and doors, demanding to gain
entrance.The shadows of the leafless
branches swayed in the driving winds, their skeletal arms performing a dance of
the dead.Lightening illuminated the
world and thunder shook the earth - Mother Nature's equivalent to shining a
spotlight on the players and giving a standing ovation.There was no visible life outside.Just echoes of the storm and whispers from
the grave.

They had been prepared for this night their entire lives.Their mother spoke of it with reverence, and
told them how lucky they were to witness this miracle."Do you know how fortunate we are,
children?" she would say."This is a gift.This is an
honor." She would speak in hushed tones, to convey the seriousness of the
night.

Since the twins birth, they were brought up to believe that they were the
Chosen.They were told time and again
that when the storm approached on the eve of their 12th birthday, all would see
what their Mother had always known.They
were not like all of those little brats running around the seaside town.They were more than the bastard children of a
woman who found herself pregnant after a drunken one-night stand.No.They were Chosen.They were
better than all of those other creatures that sat in school, with their shiny
white sneakers and their designer jeans.They were above material things.They were above everything.

The storm raged on and their mother took out the battered book of poetry
and rhymes that they each knew by heart.The three sat in the flickering glow of the candlelight reciting each
verse, as if an incantation:

I am not of this world, I am of the sea

My father is King and watches over thee

One day he will come, to reclaim what he owns

In a storm of great strength, and a rattling of bones

My father the King will look down from his height

Casting a curse that will rage most the night

He will gather us children, and save us from strife

My father the King will give us new life.

The verses were read with the solemnity of a religious service.Both children were hopeful and excited, but
took great care not to show their mother their joy.For "Joy", she had always reminded
them, "was nothing but giving in to your weaknesses.Joy is for fools.You are the children of Kings, and no King
wants a fool for a child."The
children were expected to appreciate their good fortune, but not to show
happiness with it."Royalty is not
happy to be royal," she would chastise, "Royalty knows it deserves
its place.To show happiness would mean
you don't truly feel you belong in the Kingdom.We can't have that."

****

The storm raged on and there was a knocking at the door.The three of them looked at each other with
apprehensive glances - this wasn't how they were to be given life.A knock on the door was never in the
tale.

The Mother opened the door cautiously, carrying the candle and leaving the
chain lock on the door.Through the
crack, their neighbor appeared.A
gentleman who can only be described as "round".He was one of the only people who spoke to
the family of his own free will.He was
kind, but the mother distrusted anyone who was kind."Yes?"The mother asked, in an annoyed tone."I was just making sure you and the kids
were safe, Ma’am.", said the neighbor."It's one heck of a storm and it looks like the sea is rising
fast.If you'd like some company and
some hot food, my wife was able to make dinner right before the electricity
went out.There's more than enough and
we'd love to see you."He peeked
through the small crack in the door, "I know these types of storms can
scare the kids."The mother
swallowed hard and tried to hide her displeasure at the interruption."Thank you Mr. Shielding.We are doing just fine.Best you get home now to your wife and make
sure she's safe and secure."Without another word, the Mother slammed the door and slipped the
deadlock in to place.

****

The storm raged all
night.The candle was quickly losing its
flame and they had not another to light.As the light waned, the last thing the children saw was the time on the
windup alarm clock that read 11:11pm.It
wasn't much longer now, they both thought.Instinctively reaching for each other's hands.

****

September
14, 2013, Massachusetts (AP) - by Kaylee Kreiger:In an unexplained and tragic
scene, the bodies of two boys, aged 12 years old, were found on the beach in
this small seaside community of Monarch, Massachusetts.Due to their age, the names and details have
not yet been released to the press.During the storm that ravaged the coastline last evening on September
13, it appears these boys might have been playing in the surf when the water
overcame them.More details to follow in
the coming days.Mr. Shielding, a
neighbor, can account for their safety around 8:00pm, during the night of the
storm

September
21, 2013, Massachusetts (AP) - by Kaylee Kreiger: More details are emerging about
the two boys who were assumed to have drowned during the storm on September
13th.The coroner’s office has issued a
statement indicating that the boys death was not due to drowning.The apparent cause of death was a deep and
fatal slash to both boys' throats.There are no suspects at this time; however investigators have not yet
been able to locate the boy’s mother.

September
25, 2013, Massachusetts (AP) - by Kaylee Kreiger:The police have issued an
arrest warrant for the mother of the two slain boys, found on the beach on
September 14 in the seaside town of Monarch, Massachusetts.Any information you can provide should be
communicated to the Monarch Police Department.

September 30, 2013, Massachusetts (AP) - by Kaylee Kreiger:The mother of the two slain
boys found on the beach on September 14, 2013 has been located 15 miles from
the seaside town.Ms. Green was found in
a bar off of Route 18, her whereabouts called in by the proprietor of the
establishment.A fellow patron of the
bar at the time of the arrest indicated that Ms. Green was continually
repeating a poem about a King and the return to the sea.“She seemed off her rocker, if you asked me.”
The anonymous patron commented.